Missing a few main attractions and nursing a three-game losing streak, the New York Knicks beared down well enough to salvage a quartet on the road.
The Knicks overcame the absence of Jalen Brunson and more to put up a 130-119 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night at FedEx Forum. Thus ends New York’s longest losing streak since mid-January.
Karl-Anthony Towns (20 points, 11 assists and rebounds) posted a triple-double, the fourth of his career and second as a Knick. OG Anunoby led all participants with 25 tallies while pulling in 15 rebounds while Jose Alvarado had 15 points in his second metropolitan start in place of Brunson.
Mikal Bridges posted his best scoring game in a month, putting up 24 points on a 9-of-15 outing from the field. It was a landmark night in more ways than one, as Bridges partook in the 633rd consecutive game to start his NBA career. That passes Andre Miller for the eighth-longest streak in NBA history.
Fresh off a lifeless loss in Houston and playing without Brunson, Miles McBride, or Mitchell Robinson (each enduring nagging injuries that rendered them out for the latter portion of a back-to-back), the Knicks (49-28) took advantage of an opportunity to make things right in their penultimate road game of the regular season against eliminated Memphis. Anunoby got things off to a much-needed strong start with a dunk and sinking a trio of freebies when he was fouled on a deep attempt.
Anunoby’s output was part of a 48-point, 81 percent shooting period for the Knicks, who closed the opening dozen on a 24-9 run in the last 4:42. Each of the nine Knicks that partook scored at least three points: a Tyler Kolek three began the run, Ariel Hukporti tied Anunoby, Bridges, and Towns for the team in points with seven and Landry Shamet took the floor for the first time in five games after dealing with a knee injury.
But, even in its eliminated state, Memphis (25-51) refused to go quietly into the night, constantly threatening to add to the Knicks’ misery. A sloppy second period that featured 15 combined turnovers prevented from eating into the Knicks’ lead (which saw New York score 79 in the first half, breaking their season-best previously set against Memphis in November), but the stage was set with sterling outside shooting.
New York likely feared for the worst when the offense shut down during the latter stages of the third quarter (hitting just 7-of-23 in that span) and the replacement Grizzlies shot over 55 percent from deep in response. But the Knicks eventually overcame the Grizz threes and began to take over the rebounding game once Memphis shrank the lead from 22 to a mere triple late in the third.
Even without the interior master Robinson, the Knicks got Memphis off their outside streak with offensive boards: six of the last nine Knicks’ points of the third period were earned via second chance, and New York was plus-14 in the department overall. The trend continued into the fourth, which saw Anunoby officially seal the deal with a 17-point breakout, while the sterling rebounding masked further ball-handling issues
New York has won six in a row against the Grizzlies, sweeping the interconference set for the third consecutive season. With almost all of their major talents either injured or traded, GG Jackson led Memphis with 20 points and stood as one of five to sink multiple threes (16 total on the evening).
The Knicks now come back to play four of their final five at home, beginning with a Friday visit from the Chicago Bulls (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
